


A Story For A Meal

by Raaj



Series: P5 Roleswaps [2]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, akechi is the fool, the assault charge is genuine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:07:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27779584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raaj/pseuds/Raaj
Summary: Akechi and Ryuji bond over ramen.Okay, Ryuji pays for ramen while Akechi dumps his life story.  Close enough.  It's Ryuji's fault for wanting to learn more about the transfer student.
Relationships: Akechi Goro & Sakamoto Ryuji
Series: P5 Roleswaps [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2166093
Comments: 1
Kudos: 49





	A Story For A Meal

Sakamoto had proven himself unexpectedly useful, more so than his vulgar demeanor had originally suggested at their first meeting. First, he had provided all three keywords to the shadow of a faculty member of Shujin. It very well could have been sheer dumb luck and his amount of experience with Kamoshida, but perhaps he had some emotional intelligence to make up for what he lacked in book smarts. Second, he had a persona. He could perhaps prove to be a useful ally in the future.

Third, he was paying for both their meals, and all he wanted in return was to hear his classmate’s past. So he was a fool in negotiations. Fine. He wouldn’t be handling those in the Metaverse.

“Most of the rumors I’ve heard about me are blatantly false, but the original is true,” Akechi said coolly, blowing gently on his noodles before eating a mouthful. He took a look around the restaurant, careful that no one else was close enough to hear. “I assaulted a man.

“I was born to a woman foolish enough to believe in an aspiring politician’s promises and keep me, thinking one day he’d recognize the two of us. When she at last woke up to reality, she drowned in her despair and died.” Sakamoto choked on noodles next to him. Akechi let him deal with that on his own. His fault, being so eager to learn about the violent transfer student’s past. He hardly could have expected a happy childhood. “I dreamed about how I would exact my revenge on him for years. I came up with an entire scheme to pretend to be a supporter of his and gain his trust over time, then thrust him into hell, the same way he’d strung along my mother. But, when I thought I had found the right time to introduce myself…”

A late evening, a back alley. Alone, secluded, just the right venue to offer services only Akechi possessed: psychotic breakdowns. The perfect tool to ruin Shido’s political enemies and rivals.

But Shido hadn’t actually been alone.

“It just so happened he was drunk, and trying to force a woman into his car. I wonder how many women’s lives he’s ruined? He clearly didn’t learn with one. I must admit, in that moment, I completely forgot my plan.” A punch to the face; a knee to the groin. With any luck, the man could no longer sire any bastards. “At the trial, the only defense I could offer was that I might have suffered a psychotic breakdown.” A complete lie, of course, considering it would have needed to be self-induced, but it nearly felt like the truth when Loki had been so proud of his violent rampage. (Robin Hood had been quieter, but occasionally soothed him that perhaps it was good the plan had been ruined. He'd wanted to ruin high-and-mighty politicians, not be...part of something like _that._ ) He’d been smart enough to not mention the familial connection, and lucky enough to have a soft-hearted judge who thought he could be _rehabilitated_. Akechi turned his head to see Sakamoto’s reaction and scoffed. “Shut your mouth. You’ll catch flies.”

He took another mouthful of ramen. It tasted good.

“Dude…” Sakamoto said in a low tone. “Are you for real? I can’t even imagine. If it’d been me…” He trailed off, his brows knitting together in a rare moment of thought as he ate a few more bites and swallowed. “You know, we might be more alike than I originally thought.”

That startled a laugh out of Akechi. Them, _alike_?Considering his homeroom teacher had taken the time to caution him against socializing with Sakamoto specifically, this ought to be good. “And what did you do, exactly?”

“I don’t got a record like you do,” Sakamoto shot back, a touch indignant before he settled down again. “But shitty fathers? We’re two for two, there. Though… my mom’s still around…”

God. The look Sakamoto was giving him was so downtrodden, as though he should feel _guilty_ his mother had some backbone. Akechi revised his earlier opinion of Sakamoto’s emotional intelligence. “Do us both a favor and keep any pity you might have to yourself.”

Sakamoto had the good sense to avert his eyes at that, at least. “Sorry. Didn’t mean it like that. Hey, uh, it’s rush hour,” he said in a forced and clumsy change of subject. “Let’s kill some more time here before we head out.” He glanced down at both their food bowls and frowned. “You barely got any ginger,” he pointed out, leaning forward to scoop some from the serving bowl and dump it into Akechi’s ramen.

“I can do that myself,” he pointed out irritably.

“Just let me do it. I gotta thank you for helpin’ me.”

Did Sakamoto not even consider that perhaps Akechi had taken less ginger for a _reason?_ Well. He’d eaten far worse than over-seasoned restaurant ramen, so he wasn’t going to waste the bowl Sakamoto was paying for.

He did wonder, though, if Sakamoto would realize he was helping less out of benevolence and more because of that curious shadow-creature and its claim of a method to get revenge on Kamoshida through his shadow. That Zorro persona didn’t seem anything like Loki, so a “change of heart” was likely different from a psychotic breakdown…just what was it?

Perhaps with Morgana, he could find another way to take revenge on Shido.

And as long as they were allies against Kamoshida, perhaps he might get Sakamoto to pay for more meals.

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this spawned from the question "would it change p5's story all that much if Joker had genuinely assaulted someone, as long as he regretted it and still hated people being abused?" In some ways I thought Joker needing to genuinely be rehabilitated/change what had led him to assault a person would be interesting to play against the Velvet Room's false "rehabilitation". But as I was bouncing the idea around I kept using the phrase "more like Akechi" (sympathetic background, still made bad decisions that hurt others, etc.) and then my mind snapped to "Akechi's meeting with Shido played out like Joker's instead of as in canon". So he approached Shido later than in canon, was ready to offer psychotic breakdowns to embroil politicians in scandals but not ready to see Shido being physically aggressive with a woman, and boy snapped.
> 
> ...But with that kind of set up, Akechi does not really regret the assault either.
> 
> I feel like the plot of the game would be completely different with something like this and I'm not writing that all out. I just really liked the idea of Ryuji hearing his case and still being sympathetic because anger issues and shitty fathers? Yeah, he gets that.


End file.
